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Dennis Gwizdala says annual Season of Giving Christmas concert is all about the kids

Dennis Gwizdala Main.jpg

Dennis Gwizdala is preparing for his eighth annual Season of Giving Christmas Concert to benefit Bay County Toys for Tots. The concert takes place Thursday, Dec. 12, at the State Theatre in downtown Bay City.
(Bay City Times File Photo)

View full sizeDennis Gwizdala says the Dec. 12 concert is going to be a little bit different than the previous seven. There will definitely be Christmas songs, but Gwizdala will also be performing tunes off his new album, âLessons Learnedâ¦Life is Good,â a compilation of Christian music.Courtesy Photo

Admission is a toy donation for Bay County Toys for Tots or a $10 donation.

As he prepares for the performance, Gwizdala shared a couple of those unplanned moments involving kids from shows past.

“Three years ago we were singing 'Jingle Bells,' " he said. “One of the kids just went off into outer space. He just started gyrating. He was so excited to sing. I'm singing the song and hearing the audience roaring with laughter. Well, the song isn't that funny. I turn around and see what's happening. I gave him the microphone and just let him go.

"You don't pass up a good thing.”

Last year, it was a 9-year-old piano player who, following his performance, told Gwizdala he had finally made the big time.

With students from Zion Lutheran School on stage this year, Gwizdala is ready for anything.

“If we didn't have the children, something definitely would be missing,” he said.

That includes his 6- and 4-year-old grandchildren, Madden and Jackson Gwizdala, singing “Jingle Bell Rock,” with papa.

With seven years under his belt, Gwizdala says this concert is going to be a little bit different. There will definitely be Christmas songs, but Gwizdala will also be performing tunes off his new album, “Lessons Learned…Life is Good,” a compilation of Christian music.

Gwizdala will be performing the title cut and the “grooviest” version anyone is going to hear of “How Great Thou Art.”

“I guarantee no one has heard this song like this before,” he said. “It brings tears to people's eyes.”

Gwizdala says the new album is all about God, family and friends, and living your life the way you should.

That's not to say there won't be a good share of Christmas songs on the program, sung by Gwizdala, the children and special guest, Christian singer Vickie Atchinson of Bay City.

Songs like “Mary Did You Know,” “Silent Night,” “Silver Bells,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “I'll Be Home for Christmas,” ending the show with his favorite, “Feliz Navidad.”

“When I'm driving in my car and that song comes on the radio, people think I'm crazy,” he said. “I'm singing it at the top of my lungs.”

And, says Gwizdala, the audience may feel free to belt it out along with the performers.

Over the course of the concert's history, Gwizdala figures he's passed on more than 3,500 toys and almost $17,000 to the Toys for Tots program, which insures no child wakes up Christmas morning without something under the tree.

He's also passed along a lot of good will.

“Every year people come to me and say, 'Dennis, my Christmas season doesn't officially begin until I hear your music at the concert,' ” he said. “If you don't feel in a Christmas mood when you walk out of the State, you need to check your pulse.”

If you go:

What: Eighth annual Season of Giving Christmas Concert to benefit Bay County Toys for Tots